Boat handling apparatus

ABSTRACT

Wheeled devices for rapid, easy, removable, attachment to the transom of a boat, for maneuvering the boat about on land, for launching the boat into water, and for pulling the boat out of the water.

United States Patent Hadley [S4] BOAT HANDLING APPARATUS [72] Floyd H. Hadley, 1534 Bluebell Drive, Livermore, Calif. 94550 Filed: June 25, 1970 Appl. No.: 49,846

lnventor:

us. c1. ..280/47.32, 9/1 T, 248/188, 248/l88.8, 287/20.924, 280/414 A 1m. 01. ..B60p 3/10 Field of Search ..280/43, 47.13 R, 47.13 13,

47. 14, 280147.32, 150 A, 414 A; 9/1 T; 108/155;

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,484,346 10/1949 Irons ..280/47.32 3,416,813 12/1968 ShOll ..280/47.32

14 1 Oct. 10, 1972 2,227,725 l/l94l Laddon ..280/414 A UX 3,375,019 3/1968 ODay ..280/47.32 3,098,245 7/1963 Corey et al ..9/l T 3,462,171 8/1969 Mitty et a]. ..280/43 X 2,964,123 12/1960 Larson ..248/ 188.8 X 2,793,407 5/1957 Johnston ..287/20.924

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 617,884 2/1949 Great Britain ..248/l88.8

Primary Examiner-Benjamin Hersh Assistant Examiner-Leslie J. Papemer Att0rney-Joseph B. Gardner 57 ABSTRACT Wheeled devices for rapid, easy, removable, attachment to the transom of a boat, for maneuvering the boat about on land, for launching the boat into water, and for pulling the boat out of the water.

1 Claim, 5 Drawing Figures PATENTEU UN 1 0 I972 FIG.

Y A M H ,R Z A Wm Ff W 8% FIG. 4

BOAT HANDLING APPARATUS BACKGROUND, FIELD OF INVENTION This invention pertains to boat handling apparatus, and more particularly to an easily operated device for wheeling a boat about over the surface of land.

BACKGROUND, PRIOR ART Boats of the type and size that can be lifted by one or a few persons, such as for example, a boat having a transom at its stem end for mounting an outboard motor, are frequently carried or transported on the top of an automobile. Upon arrival of the automobile at a launching site, or a storage location, the boat must be lifted off the automobile, and then transported some distance to the final desired location, su'ch as the water. Boats are awkward and frequently too heavy to carry over land, especially sandy or rough terrain. Further, once the boat is at the waters edge of a sloped embankment, or launching site, the persons carrying the boat must frequently step into the water in order to move the boat far enough into the water to fully float the boat, especially so when an outboard motor with its depending propeller is attached at the time of launching. Also, most owners of boats of the outboard motor type store the boat in an inverted position in order to keep debris, rain, and/or snow from accumulating in the boat while stored. Storage of such boats usually requires manuevering the inverted boat in close quarters. This is difficult to do when hand carrying the boat.

Various prior art devices have attempted to solve the problems of hand launching a boat and/or maneuvering the boat about on land. However, such devices are generally of a complex type that require special clamping devices and such devices are not easily disengaged from the boat once it is launched. Further, such devices are subject to being easily sunk in the water if a grip on the device is lost at the time of disengaging it from the launched boat.

Further, most prior boat handling devices are designed for handling the boat in only one position, i.e., either right-side-up or inverted, but not both.

SUMMARY The present invention is achieved by utilizing handles or brackets when the boat is originally equipped or later secured to the outer surface of the transom at the stem end of a boat, and each providing a means for receiving and retaining a removably insertable wheel unit. One end of the wheel unit is provided with a freely rotatable wheel and the opposite end is formed so as to be easily inserted and fitted into one or the other of the transoms brackets. Depending on which side of the brackets the wheel units are inserted, the boat is thus provided with ground engaging wheels for easily moving the boat over land surface right-side-up or up-sidedown.

Each wheel unit is adjustable in effective length to accommodate different depth boats and different desired ground clearances. In addition, the wheel units are made, at least partially, of a buoyant material so as to permit the entire wheel unit to float in water when not attached to the boat. Also each wheel unit it provided with a safety retaining device so as to prevent the wheel units from accidently coming out of their respective brackets.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved means for moving a boat on land.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved and novel wheel unit for removable attachment to a boat.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a wheel apparatus that may be readily installed on and safely retreived from a boat.

These and other objects of the present invention, along with the advantages and features of the invention may best be understood from the accompanying description when read in connection with the figures in which:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES FIG. 1 is an end view of a typical boat on which two wheel devices of the present invention are shown in installed position for wheeling the boat right-side-up.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing further features of one of the wheel devices of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a side view of a typical boat having wheel devices of the present invention installed for movement of the boat in a right-side-up position.

FIG. 4 is a side view of a typical boat having wheel devices of the present invention installed for movement of the boat in an up-side-down position.

FIG. 5 is an illustration of a second embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS As best shown in FIG. 1, a typical boat 10 has a transom 12 at its stern or rear end. On the outside of the transom there is secured a pair of identical brackets 14, each being generally U-shaped thereby forming slots 16 open at their tops and bottoms for receiving respective ones of the wheel devices 18 of the present invention. Fasteners 20, such as for example screws, bolts and nuts, or nails maintain the brackets securely on the outside of the upright transom 12.

Most boats of a size adaptable to be carried on the top of an automobile are furnished with a pair of manual grip handles secured to the outside of the transom for human lifting and handling of the boat. It has been found that such handles serve admirably the function and advantages of the brackets 14 described herein and shown in the figures. In case the boat has never been equipped with handles or if the handles thereon are not suited for proper reception of the wheel units, a set of handles may later be provided on the transom or a new set substituted.

The brackets 14 may be located at any desired position on the transom 12 so long as the slots 16 open upwardly and downwardly as described above. However it has been found that the preferred position of the brackets is midway between the top and bottom of the transom. Such preferred position provides the advantage that the boat may be moved over land rightside-up or up-side-down with the wheel devices 18 withon having to make adjustments in the length of the devices, once the adjustment is made for the particular boat. The length adjustment feature is described in more detail below.

Each of the two wheel devices 18 are identical in construction and operation, and the ensuing description is equally applicable to each of the devices. As best shown in FIG. 2 a wheel device 18 comprises a rather broad flat long base member 22, having tapered-sides at the upper portion 24, and generally straight-sided portion 26 below portion 24. The tapered-sided portion 24 diverges from a narrow upper end member where a pair of oppositely disposed upwardly facing shoulders 25 are formed. As can be seen in the figures the maximum width of the tapered-sides end is just about the width of the slot 16 in the bracket 14. The shoulders 25, however, extend beyond the width of the slot 16 and may engage or bear against the lower side of the U- shaped portion of the bracket 14; the shoulders may thus serve as a stop means for the base member when the latter is inserted in the bracket.

Each edge or side of the straight sided portion 26 has secured thereto a rigid longitudinally extending leg 28 projecting for a distance beyond the lower end of base member. The legs are secured to the base member by suitable means, such as for example, screws 30. An axle 32 extends horizontally across and between the legs 28 and is secured to the lower ends of the pair of legs by suitable means such as nut 34 and shank 36. A wheel 38 as shown in FIG. 2 or pair of wheels 40 and 42 as shown are mounted in the center of the axle for free rotation thereabout. Suitable bearings that will not be adversely affected by immersion in water may be included for easy rotation of the wheels. Preferably the upper ends of each leg provide stop means for the base member 22 in cooperation with shoulders 25. If desired the upper ends of the legs may be positioned somewhat above the shoulders 25 so as to form the stop substantially exclusive of the shoulders.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention the wheels 38 (and 40 and 42) are hollow and watertight, or are of the inner tube type so as to provide buoyancy to the entire wheel unit 18 when placed in water during launching or withdrawing boat with the devices as described in more detail below.

The preferred material for the base member 22 is wood, thereby providing further buoyancy to the entire wheel unit when in water. It will be understood that other suitable material may be used to give the required buoyancy to the wheel device. For example, the base member 22 may be a metal plate or frame and buoyant material attached thereto such that the specific gravity of the entire wheel device 18 is less than 1.0 (the specific gravity of water).

The thickness of the base member 18 is preferably of about the same depth as the slot 16 of the bracket 14 so as to fit snugly in the slot against the transom 12. The wheel device 18 is installed by inserting the tapered end of the base member 22 into the slot 16 of bracket 14 from either the lower or upper side of the opening of the slot 16 depending of course on whether it is desired to move the boat open-side-up or open-side-down respectively. As will be evident, the taper or sloped sides of the upper end 24 of the base member provide for rapid and easy insertion.

If desired, an eyelet member 44 may be secured to the outer or rearwardly facing portion of the base member 22 at a location just below the lower surface of the bracket 14 when the base member is fully inserted into the slot 16 and the upper ends of the legs bear against the bracket 14. One end ofa chain 46 is secured to the eyelet member 44 and a pin 48 is secured to the other end of the chain. The pin 48 is then inserted and frictionally held in a hole 50 formed in the base member at a location just above the bracket 14 when the base member is inserted in the slot 16. Thus the wheel unit cannot slip out of the bracket if for instance the wheel should leave the ground as when moving the boat over rough terrain.

In FIG. 3 there is shown the manner in which a person may lift the bow or forward end 54 of a typical boat 10 in the right-side-up position. As shown in FIG. 3, an out-board motor 56 has been installed on the transom l2 preparatory to launching the boat into a body of water from a sloped beach or land using the wheel units of the present invention. Since the propeller as shown at 62 and its associated gear box of the outboard motor 56 extends near the bottom of the boat 10, sufficient clearance, indicated by dimension arrow 64, must be provided so that the propeller cannot touch or drag on the ground when the boat is tilted and moved about as indicated in the Figure.

The present invention provides for adjustment of the ground clearance, this being readily achieved by removing the screws 30 which hold legs 28 to the base members then repositioning the legs on the sides of the members to a new extended position and then replacing the screws to secure the legs in their new position. Obviously the legs in the same manner may be repositioned to assume a retracted position.

In FIG. 4 the boat is shown as when being moved on land in the open-side-down position with the wheel unit. This of course is achieved by inserting the tapered end 24 of the base member downwardly through the upper side of the slots 16 of the brackets.

A SECOND EMBODIMENT In FIG. 5 is shown a second embodiment of the present invention. In this second embodiment, the base member is tapered all the way from top end 72 to bottom end 74. The legs 76 are detachably secured to the tapered sides of the base member 70 and the wheel 18 is mounted on the lower ends of the legs 76 in the same manner as described in connection with the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. The spacing between the outer surfaces of the top portions of the legs 76 is less than the width of slot 16 of the bracket 14. Thus the upper portions of the leg members can enter the slot 16 and the inner portion of the legs will run as the stop or wedge against the bracket at a certain location. The resultant wedge fit will keep the wheel units from falling out unless the smaller end of the member is tapped to loosen the wedge fit. Preferably all wood portions of the body of the wheel units are coated with waterproofing, such as for example, wax, to preserve the life of the units.

There has thus been shown and described a new and improved means of readily moving a boat on land for launching or withdrawing the boat. The advantages of the present invention include ease of installation and removal, nonsinkability, and versitility in that ground clearance can be changed readily, and the boat may be moved about in either the right-side-up and up-sidedown positions.

What is claimed is:

1. A device for providing wheeled mobility to a boat having at least one generally upstanding end portion and a bracket member secured to said end portion and providing an opening extending therethrough; said device comprising a base member having a first end for removable insertion into said opening of said bracket member; said base member having a second end opposite said first end; means for limiting the insertion of said first end of said base member a predetermined distance into said opening of said bracket member; a wheel; means for rotatably mounting said wheel on said second end of said base member at a location outwardly of said end portion of said boat; means for adjusting said location of said end portion of said boat outwardly of said second end of said base member, said 

1. A device for providing wheeled mobility to a boat having at least one generally upstanding end portion and a bracket member secured to said end portion and providing an opening extending therethrough; said device comprising a base member having a first end for removable insertion into said opening of said bracket member; said base member having a second end opposite said first end; means for limiting the insertion of said first end of said base member a predetermined distance into said opening of said bracket member; a wheel; means for rotatably mounting said wheel on said second end of said base member at a location outwardly of said end portion of said boat; means for adjusting said location of said end portion of said boat outwardly of said second end of said base member, said means for adjusting including a pair of leg members adjustably secured to said base member; said means for mounting said wheel includes said leg members and an axle extending between said leg members, the axis of said axle being normal to the direction of insertion of said base member into said opening of said bracket member; and said upper portions of said leg members providing at least in part the means for limiting the extent of insertion of said base member into said bracket opening. 